§ Mr. MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were being held in police cells in the Cardiff gaol catchment area in the week ending 26 October, how many were(a) sentenced and (b) remanded, and how many were aged 15, 16 or 17 years old.
§ Mrs. RumboldDuring the week ending 26 October the following number of prisoners who should have been held in Cardiff prison were held in police cells:
Number 21 October 197 22 October 199 23 October 193 24 October 194 25 October 201 Information on prisoners in police cells is not collected at weekends. It is not now possible to differentiate between remand and other classes of prisoner or to identify the ages of prisoners held on those days.
§ Mr. MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what guidelines he proposes to govern the use of police cells for overnight stays involving young children and babies accompanying their parents while being questioned;
269W(2) what discussions he has had with the chief constable of South Wales concerning the children under the age of 10 years kept with their parents in police cells at Fairwater police station, Cardiff, on the night of Sunday 27 October; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter LloydIt is not proposed to issue guidelines. The police do not, in normal circumstances, allow children to remain with parents in cells. Every effort is made to place children with responsible adults relatives or friends, or to seek assistance from the social services department.
I understand from the chief constable of South Wales constabulary that at 2.20 pm on 27 October a man and woman, of no fixed abode, were arrested and taken to Fairwater police station where it was decided not to grant bail. They were accompanied by seven children. Between 3.45 and 10.55 pm the police made numerous attempts to find accommodation via the social services, but were unsuccessful. The children were therefore housed overnight with the parents in a cell with integral sanitation.